On Halloween, the Unity to Spark Change foundation along with the local law enforcement supported the community by hosting a drive-thru trick or treat event. Families of all sizes drove up to the Thousand Oaks Police station to trick or treat safely.

Ventura County Deputy Sheriff Association partnered with Unity to Spark Change foundation, founded by Mike Wing, to sponsor the drive-thru trick or treating event at two locations. The drive-thru events were held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at both the Ventura County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association building and the Thousand Oaks Police station.

According to Wing, “The whole point of doing this is for making it safe for the kids, I want kids to have something to look forward to on Halloween.”

The event was completely COVID-19 cautious. All volunteers wore gloves and face masks, no guests got out of their cars and all the candy was pre-wrapped and sealed in a bag.

The parking lot was sectioned off by a pattern of cones, designating the path the cars must follow to keep from creating traffic and backing up the streets. There were four pop up tents, each tent had a different group of volunteers passing out candy. Each car was directed to a certain pop up tent to receive their bags of candy. The event was meant to be fast and efficient while still being fun.

“It just started and we already have a line of people and kids are going to get bags of candy and they are going to drive away with a smile on their face,” Wing claimed.

From the start of the event there was a huge rush of cars lined up waiting to get their bags of candy. After the first rush at 2 p.m. the crowd calmed to a consistent flow of cars arriving. The event was a success for the kids and the community this Halloween.

The real success comes from the unification of community members coming together, volunteering and giving back to the kids. The volunteers ranged from community members, to law enforcement officers and retired officers, to a girls softball team. Within this range of 20 volunteers, James Fryhoff the Chief of Police at the Thousand Oaks Police Department participated in handing out candy.

“This is a great way to have people come through, maintain the social distancing, people still get a chance to experience Halloween in a safe, friendly way and have us be a part of that community outreach,” said Fryhoff.

Alongside Fryhoff, many retired officers volunteered as well this Halloween. Ed Ilano, a retired officer from the Thousand Oaks Police Department, returned to his home ground to pass out some bags of candy to his fellow community members.

When discussing Wing’s Unity to Spark Change foundation, Ilano said, “It resonated with me, what he was trying to do. It’s hard for someone, a member of the community, to do that. At the end of the day for him to try and bring everyone together and make everyone’s job much, much easier.”

The Halloween event was not just about giving kids candy as an alternative to door to door trick or treating, but rather to unify and give back to the community. The event’s success is in the community’s Unity to Spark Change.

“This is a great opportunity for us to give back to the community, to build that community relationship and we are excited to partner with Mike Wing and the Unity to Spark Change movement,” Fryhoff shared.